Monday, August 9, 2010

Camping Out West...Day 50...Thursday, August 5, 2010...Good News and Bad News






I away from Yosemite Valley (where all of the action is located).m out of the RV Park at sunrise...20 miles or so (all uphill) to the Park. At the entrance gate, I get the good news and the bad news. There are campsites available (good news), but only at a campground called Bridalveil Creek (bad news). It's 25 miles or so up in the mountains away from Yosemite Valley (where all of the action is located).
Once I set up camp (a very tight squeeze), I head down to the Valley. It doesn't take me long to figure out why camping is tight...the Park is packed with people...thousands of people. Every parking space is filled, and miles of cars are waiting at every stop. Want to get some photos?...good luck.
After driving around for over an hour...a miracle...I get a parking space. But, even then, there are so many people, you can't get to anything (and this is a Thursday, mind you). I wait in line for 45 minutes to order some lunch ( a very miserable looking burger), then head back the 25 mile trip (all uphill) to my campsite.
I've already read eight books on this trip...I had to "restock" during my visit with David and Shannon. Back at camp, I finish up the biography of Lyndon Johnson by Doris Kearns Goodwin...a very entertaining read. And...when I'm finished...it's cocktail time! For dinner, I grill up a steak...some corn on the cob...a nice bottle of Zig Zag Cab that picked up in LA.
By 8:30PM, the sun is down and the camp is dark...it's also cold...really cold...like 40 degrees cold. Even a campfire is not enough to warm things up. So...well insulated...I'm off to bed at 9:00PM...brr!

No comments: